Clock striking apparatus.



O. J. RASMUSSEN.

CLOCK STRIKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.14, 1914.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915 wi l WWW;

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CARL J. RASMUSSEN, OF SEATTLE, VI'ASHING-TON.

CLOCK STR-IKING APPARATUS.

Application filed. April 14, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CARL J. Rasmussen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clock Striking Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in clocks of the hour strikin type and more particularly to a system or apparatus arranged in a novel manner so that a number of bells or other alarms may be oaerated to indicate the hour simultaneously with the striking of the clock.

An important object of my invention is to provide apparatus of the character described which is adapted for use in connection with hotels, houses and on shipboard or in other suitable places so that one clock of the type that strikes the hour may control bells or other means so as to cause the bells or other means to indicate the hourby ringing or otherwise operating, said indicating means or bells being arranged in different rooms or parts of buildings or ships so that the controlling and operation thereof is brought about by one clock.

An important object of my invention is to provide a novel form of circuit closing means whereby the circuit for the several bells or indicating means is intermittently opened and closed by the action of the usual hammer for the gong of the clock.

Another important object of my invention is to provide apparatus of the character described which is simple as to construction, reliable and efficient in operation, cheap to manufacture and capable of being cheaply and readily installed in houses, hotels, on shipboard and other suitable places.

The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out as claimed.

With reference to the drawings. wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing my apparatus operatively con- Specification of Letters ?atent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Serial No. 881.860.

nected with a system of bells and a clock of the striking type, and Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the switch arm forming a part of the circuit closing mechanism.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the numeral 1 designates a clock of the hour striking type that is mounted upon a suitable base or wall board 2. This clock 1 is provided with the usual striker arm or hammer 3 arranged to strike the usual gong a.

My invention consists of the utilization of an electrical circuit which comprises a battery or other suitable source of current 5 that is connected by a conducting wire 6 to a switch bar or arm 7. This switch bar or arm is pivoted approximately centrally of its ends as at 8 upon the base board 2 of the clock or some other suitable place but adjacent to the striker or hammer 3. The conducting wire (3 is connected at the pivot point 8 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. A second conducting wire 9 leads from the bat tery 5 to a binding post 10 on the clock 1 and is connected with the binding post 10, said binding post 10 being grounded in the metal frame work of the clock so that the striker or hammer 3 serves as a contact point to cooperate with the switch arm 7. In this connection it will be observed that I have bent one end of the switch arm to provide a contact portion 11, said portion 11 being disposed edgewise, that is with relation to the body portion of the switch arm so as to form the proper contact with the end of the hammer 0r striker 3. A plurality of annunciators which in this instance are shown as bells, 11 are connected in the circuit by means of conducting wires 12 and 13. One point switches l i are connected in the wires 13. The annunciators 11 are connected in the main circuit in such a way that one of the annunciators may be cut off from the circuit by means of the switch 14 without interfering with the operation of the other annunciators in the circuit. These annunciators are arranged when in use in rooms of houses, hotels and ships or in portions of buildings wherein it is desirous of having the hour announced.

I provide a pair of pins 15 arranged upon the base or wall board 2. The pins 15 are spaced and the lower end of the switch arm 7 is free to slide between the pins. The pins 15 serve to limit the movement of the switch arm 7 so that the switch arm may be disposed in operative and inoperative position and held against accidental derangement.

The switch arm 7 is provided at the end thereof farthest removed from the portion 11 with a right angular extension 16 to engage the right hand of the pins 15. This arrangement insures the proper and posi tive contact of the portion 11 of the switch 7 with the striker 8 and serves to prevent the switch 7 from interfering with the striker 3 to the extent of preventing it performing its usual function in ringing the gong 4. In operation when the clock 1 begins to strike the hour, half or quarter as the case may be the striker 3 moves back and forth to strike the gong 4. When the striker 3 moves away from the gong it engages the portion 11 of the switch arm 7 and the circuit for the annunciators is closed as will be clearly seen with reference to the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. It will be readily seen that the circuit is opened and closed so that the annunciators will operate simultaneously with the sounding of the gong 4L thus the hour, half or quarter is announced.

It will be readily seen with reference to the foregoing description and accompanying drawings that I have provided simple and inexpensive means which will sound or announce in different parts of a building or ship the hour of day and not interfere with the operation of the clock.

In practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as

any of the advantages of my invention, as 5 set forth.

That is claimed is 2- In means of the character described, an electrical circuit, a reciprocatory gong striking arm of a clock, a switch arm pivoted intermediate its ends and being connected in said circuit, said striking arm being also connected to the circuit, said striking arm being arranged to alternately engage the gong and switch arm, said switch arm being bent to provide aflat surface for engagement with the striking arm, at one end, a right angularly extending projection formed on the other end of said switch arm, and stop pins on either side of the arm adjacent to that end which has the right angularly eX- tending projection to limit the movement of the arm in both directions, said projection engaging the pins to limit the movement in both directions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL J. RASMUSSEN.

\Vitnesses CHAs. MOCALLUM, OSCAR RAsMUssEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

